Attorney General's Office Settles Fair Housing Rental Complaint

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Jan. 4, 2006) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced the settlement of a fair housing complaint against Phoenix property management company Barrett-Eastman, LLC, and its client, GCB Real Estate Investments, LLC. The latter company owns a home managed by Barrett-Eastman.

The complaint, filed by a Glendale resident, alleged that Barrett-Eastman and its client refused to rent homes with pools to families with children, a practice that violates the Arizona Fair Housing Act.

The Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office investigated the complaint and found reasonable cause to believe that Barrett-Eastman had discriminated against the Glendale resident and had engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against families with children seeking to rent homes with pools.

Barrett-Eastman agreed to pay $27,500 to settle the complaint:

$15,000 to compensate the Glendale resident.

$2,500 to the Attorney General’s Office for monitoring and civil rights enforcement.

$5,000 to the Arizona Fair Housing Center to further fair housing.

$5,000 to the State for a statutory civil penalty.

Barrett-Eastman also agreed to adopt and provide to all managers, leasing agents, tenants and prospective tenants a written anti-discrimination policy, specifying that it does not exclude or steer away qualified families with children from renting homes with pools. Additionally, Barrett-Eastman agreed to provide fair housing training to all of its managers and leasing agents with emphasis on familial status discrimination and steering.

The settlement agreement does not constitute an admission of liability by Barrett-Eastman.

The Attorney General’s Office enforces the Arizona Fair Housing Act, which prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status. If you believe that you or someone you know is a victim of housing discrimination, you may contact the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office to file a fair housing complaint at 602-542-5263 in Phoenix or 520-628-6500 in Tucson.